Earthshaker's Shadow
by nithman
Summary: Just another Chaos-adopts-Percy story... with a few twists. Percy ends the Giant War by killing Gaea, but there's some collateral damage. A dead Olympian, a hero-turned-monster, a heartbroken demigod. Another war on the horizon. Where will this all end?
1. Chapter 1 - The Sacrifice

_[ AN: I have to admit, I'm only doing this because I read so many other "Chaos" fanfics and I found a lot of them good, but lacking. Here's my take on the whole "Adopted by Chaos" idea. Honestly, I've borrowed so many ideas from so many different stories that I'm just gonna say one big "thank you" and one big "please don't hurt me" to the amazing authors who came up with these ideas._

_This starts with a very different alternate ending to the Giant War. I'm just going to assume you all can pretend most of Blood of Olympus didn't happen, and skip right to an epic alternate ending. And by the way, unfortunately, I'm not Rick Riordan. ]_

**Chapter 1: The Sacrifice**

Percy stood in the center of the throne room of Olympus. All around him on the ground stood the Seven, all the demigods, and all the Hunters of Artemis. Their faces were set in masks of cold rage, betrayal, and disappointment. All around him, on their twenty-foot thrones, sat the angry Olympians. Only one throne was empty.

Hestia herself now stood before the Olympians. It was her face that was the hardest for Percy to watch. Hers and Annabeth's. Annabeth looked broken, her gray eyes dull and lifeless. Hestia—hers was the face of a mother about to kill her own child. She had always seen him as a friend, almost as a son. But now . . .

Percy couldn't stand it. He was almost about to sob, but he held it in by sheer force of will. He wouldn't cry. Not in front of them.

Perseus Jackson, twice the Savior of Olympus, was in chains, about to be killed by the very people that he had nearly died protecting. In the flames of the hearth of Olympus, Hestia was displaying Percy's memories. The gods watched with growing horror.

* * *

_[ Percy's memories, from the final battle, the day Gaea awakened... ]_

Percy stood alone before Gaea, watching the life draining out of Annabeth's eyes. Gaea held a blade. Not a sword, not a spear, but a dagger. The coward. Well, to be fair, Annabeth had tried to sneak up invisibly on Gaea, a desperate plan to damage her while she was apparently waking and vulnerable.

Nobody could have known that the whole "waking" phase was an act, a move by Gaea to fool the demigods into rushing into attacking.

The worst part was, Percy was the one that had given the suggestion, to surprise-attack Gaea. And now Annabeth was dying. Percy could see the crimson blood on Gaea's blade, which stuck out of Annabeth's back.

"No," he whispered. He wanted to scream. "No! Annabeth, no!"

And everyone else was dead, or fighting to the death. Jason, Frank, Piper, Leo, Hazel, the Olympians, everyone was barely holding their own against Gaea's children. Many giants had fallen, but most had not, and now that the Earth had risen, the surviving giants became ten thousand times stronger, and wave upon wave of Earthborn only made things worse.

But Percy didn't think of that. He saw Gaea, he saw Annabeth, and the next thing he saw was red. He took a step forward, Riptide suddenly bathed in a poisonous sea-green light. To her credit, Gaea only smirked, licking the blood off her dagger as Annabeth fell to the ground. That was too much for Percy.

Strangely, Percy felt like there was something he should say at that moment. Something that his whole life had been leading up to. Something about Chaos. _Chaos?_ he thought. _Where did that come from?_

"In the name of Chaos," he said. "I, Perseus Jackson, trade my life for Annabeth's. Please, let her live. Whatever time she has left, give that to me. Five minutes should do."

And to his surprise, the air around them seemed to darken, radiating raw power. Everything around them stopped, as if drawn to the darkness. Everyone stopped fighting, time stood still. And in the back of his head, Percy heard an amused voice. _Alright, Perseus Jackson, your wish has been granted. You have five minutes. Show the world what you're made of._

Somewhere far beneath his building sea of rage, Percy almost laughed. He felt different somehow, as if his mind and body were suddenly freed from invisible shackles.

"_Five minutes for what?_" hissed Gaea, genuinely confused.

"Five minutes to kick your ass," he growled back.

* * *

_[ Annabeth's memories of the final moments of the battle... ]_

To Annabeth, watching those five minutes, the world seemed to stop. Nothing moved, except Percy, Gaea, and the blinding light of Riptide between them. Nothing made a sound, except for Gaea's screams. They were locked in a fight, dagger against sword, Gaea flailing helplessly and Percy landing slash after slash.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Annabeth realized that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy. _To storm or fire the world must fall_. Gaea was certainly falling, not to a storm of wind or water, or to a real fire, but to a storm of Celestial bronze, and the fire of Percy's rage.

Annabeth had never seen Percy move this fast. Maybe she was seeing things because she was half-dead, but Percy seemed to be surrounded by a dark sea-green glow. Riptide glowed even brighter, with a radiant darkness, moving faster than anyone's eyes could follow.

And then the entire world seemed to move, as Gaea unleashed her power. But above it all, Annabeth heard Percy's roar, "You wanna play that game, Mudmouth? Let's see who wins, then, the Earth, or the Son of the Earthshaker!"

And he struck Riptide into the ground, and everything began to rumble. Everything, down to the roots of Tartarus. The whole planet shivered, and the region immediately around Percy exploded in an earthquake of a magnitude even Poseidon himself couldn't achieve. The only stable spot of land was where Annabeth lay.

Then time seemed to unfreeze, and the battle around them resumed. Percy stood still, eyes closed, holding Riptide in the soil, struggling to keep Gaea's power at bay. For all his talk, Percy was still fighting a Primordial. In terms of raw power, he was out of his league. Gaea took the opportunity and rushed at Percy, dagger ready.

Annabeth watched, helpless, unable to move, unable to scream. She watched as Percy opened his eyes for a split-second, right before Gaea reached him. Annabeth saw him look up. At her.

He mouthed four words, that infuriating crooked grin returning to his face.

"_Always together, Wise Girl_."

And then Gaea stabbed him in the chest. And he brought Riptide from the ground up in an arc, burying it in Gaea's throat, stabbing straight through her neck. And the whole world screamed.

Percy pulled Riptide back and kicked Gaea in the chest. Both Gaea and Percy collapsed to the ground, Gaea flat on her back, Percy on one knee.

For a moment, Annabeth thought it was over. But then Percy struggled to his feet.

He stepped forward and plunged Riptide into Gaea's arm. And then again.

Annabeth was terrified. This wasn't Percy. His eyes were golden like the sun. He was surrounded by a blinding white light, not darkness. Riptide was glowing, not radiant and dark, but bone-white and cruel. Percy slashed away at Gaea, somehow not killing her, but giving her hell. Gaea collapsed to the ground, again, face-first.

He tore at Gaea's back, landing a thousand different cuts. He hacked off fingers, and feet, and finally, put his sword to her head. With every cut, even the gods and giants trembled in fear. The planet had begun to rumble as continents cracked and split. The battle around them faded into silence.

Everyone stood in horror, watching Percy torture Mother Earth. Slowly, Percy kicked Gaea in the side to toss her face-up, and though Annabeth couldn't move or speak or do anything, she could see. Annabeth could see Gaea's tears.

"Guess the Earthshaker wins," said Percy, his voice cold and cruel, his sword at Gaea's neck. And somehow, Annabeth knew that if Percy killed Gaea, it would be the end of the world. Gaea wouldn't die. She would fade, into nothing.

At that moment, the moon goddess Artemis rushed into Percy from the side and tackled him to the ground. "Enough!" she screamed. "You're killing her!"

Percy rolled and kicked Artemis in the ribs. Somehow, though he was just a demigod, his kick knocked the breath out of her. She lay on the ground, heaving and coughing up ichor. All the other gods stood rooted to their spots in shock.

Percy growled. "Don't interfere, Moon Goddess! Isn't this what you want? You Olympians, you forced me to be your pawn, to do your dirty work, to fight your wars! I will finish them as _I_ see fit!"

Artemis leapt to her feet. "Who are you, you monster? Where is the Perseus I knew?"

Percy only laughed. If Annabeth could describe that laugh in one word, it would be _evil_. "This _is_ the Perseus you knew, Moon Goddess. This is the Perseus you and your Olympians raised, into a killer. A cold-blooded soldier!"

"Give him back!" Artemis roared, lunging at Percy with her silver hunting knives.

Percy met her with Riptide drawn, disarming her in seconds. That suddenly seemed to spark the battle again, as the giants took advantage of the gods' shock and attacked. The gods, caught up in their own battle, could only watch as Gaea bled to death and Percy fought Artemis.

Suddenly, Gaea's body sank back deep into the earth. In a twisted way, Annabeth was glad. That would keep Gaea alive, and out of Percy's reach.

But Artemis was his new target. Percy had disarmed her, and knocked her to the ground. "Yield. I don't want to kill you."

"What is wrong with you?" Artemis screamed, struggling to her feet. "I will not yield until you return to your sanity. I will defeat you, monster, if it costs me my life!"

Suddenly, the air around Percy seemed to glow as blindingly white as Riptide. "So be it."

Apollo, Zeus, the other Olympians tried to help her, but suddenly, the giants as well were surrounded by the blinding white light. They became unstoppable, and hell-bent on keeping the Olympians from interfering. Annabeth wondered if the giants were even fighting for Gaea anymore. Their eyes had gone bright golden like Percy's.

Zeus managed to fire a bolt at Percy, but with a flick of Riptide, the demigod swatted it away like a fly. A few of Apollo's arrows also reached him, but not a single one touched his skin. Percy moved too fast.

What came next, Annabeth would do anything to erase from her memory. Coldly, cruelly, systematically, Percy hacked Artemis to pieces. Artemis, the Olympian goddess of the moon. No matter what Artemis did, there was no escape. And with one last step, he stabbed her in the chest and finished her. She screamed.

"Don't worry," said Percy with an ugly smile. "I don't hate you, so I won't make you fade. But sadly, you will spend the next decade or so reforming in Tartarus."

Annabeth watched as the golden ichor seeped into the soil beneath Artemis' body. Annabeth watched as a patch of wildflowers blossomed around the corpse as if the earth herself were mourning the goddess' passing. Annabeth watched as the body faded into golden dust. Annabeth watched as Percy licked the golden ichor off of Riptide's edge just as Gaea had licked Annabeth's blood minutes before.

And that was too much. Annabeth suddenly found her voice, and screamed. "Percy!"

Then Percy's eyes widened, and reverted to their normal beautiful sea-green, and Riptide slowly faded from the blinding bone-white to its warm, reassuring bronze. The white glow faded from everywhere, including the giants. But Riptide was still coated in golden ichor. Percy's eyes filled with tears.

He roared at the sky. "Chaos! What happened? I traded my life for hers! I was supposed to die! Why?! Why would you do this to me?!" And then, he paused, as if he had really heard an answer from the heavens.

And Annabeth watched, helplessly, as he fell to the ground, sobbing. The tides of battle turned, every giant was killed, but when everyone gathered at the spot where Artemis had died, Percy was still there, golden ichor on his sword and lips.

* * *

_[ In the throne room of Olympus... ]_

The gods watched all of Annabeth's memories in silence. In the end, the only sound was the crackling of an angry hearth. Percy let the tears flow freely now, as he saw what he had done. He remembered, of course, but not like this. Not clearly.

His memories of the end of the battle were hazy and bright, as if behind a veil of blinding white light. He knew he would never have killed Artemis. She was one of his favorite goddesses. But he had done it. He had watched her body crumble, he had seen the gold dripping from Riptide's edge.

He had no way to claim he was innocent. He had no _right _to claim he was innocent. But he knew that he had not done it. It was not him. It was, as Artemis had said, a monster. He knew, because Chaos told him in a dream, the night before this day.

_I know you're innocent, Percy. Forgive me. I gave you your five minutes, and I intended it to be just that. I would have let you die. But someone interfered. Someone seized your mind, someone as powerful as I am. I could not stop them. Forgive me._

Chaos, the Creator of the Universe, asking for Percy's forgiveness. He had heard Chaos' voice, telling him it was going to be okay. Telling him he was going to be sentenced to death, but that she would not let him die. Asking him a question.

_Will you fight for me?_

And Percy, in the dream, had asked, _Why? I fought for the gods, and I ended up becoming worse than the monsters I killed. I fought in the name of loyalty, and the very people I was loyal to are going to have me killed!_

Chaos had replied, _I can give you something more to fight for. Something that will never abandon you. Something you don't have. A true family._

And that promise, that would be enough for Percy to desperately hold onto hope. Because hope is a strange flower, which grows best in the darkest places.

Percy had lost all hope that the Olympians would listen to his side of the story, though. The gods were all staring at him, enraged. Even his father, Poseidon. His face was dark, and sad, and hurt. Hurt beyond repair.

Zeus was the angriest. Without pause, without even taking a vote, he lifted his master bolt. "Perseus Jackson, for the murder of Artemis, Olympian Goddess of the Moon and Hunt, we sentence you to death."

"We're not even going to vote, it would be unanimous," Apollo interrupted, his eyes uncharacteristically cold. "The only thing that keeps us from torturing you for all of eternity is everything you've done for us. Consider a quick death your reward."

Hestia held up a hand, silencing them. "Any last words, Percy?"

He stared up at the sky. "I forgive you, Chaos. And I guess I'll take you up on that job offer. And you, Fates, you three old hags! I hate your sense of humor. Do you find it funny that I'm about to die by the very master bolt that I saved on my first quest?"

"Done complaining?" asked Apollo dryly.

Percy raised his head high, meeting every god's eyes. "I can understand if you don't believe me when I say I didn't do it. I can understand if you don't forgive me. But please don't forget me."

Zeus raised his master bolt. Percy caught Annabeth's lifeless gaze, and his sea-green eyes glimmered. He mouthed the promise again. "_Always together, Wise Girl."_

And then Percy Jackson was killed. The lightning struck his body. He didn't scream, but he writhed in pain. And for a moment, there was a brilliant flash of light. And then he was gone. The shackles were empty.

* * *

All was silent.

Out of nowhere, a woman appeared. Her skin was pitch-black, but lit by thousands of points of light, stars and galaxies. The Olympians stared at her in shock.

"Lady Chaos," said Athena, kneeling. The gods followed her example, as did the demigods. Only Annabeth didn't kneel. Chaos walked over and patted Annabeth's shoulder.

"Sorry, dear," Chaos said to her. Chaos turned to face the Olympians and only shook her head. "You fools. You idiots. Another war is coming! He was your only hope. " She paused. "And by the way, HE WAS INNOCENT!

The whole throne room exploded with whispers and shock.

"Now all you can do is pray that he will have the heart to return to you," said Chaos softly.

Annabeth's hazy eyes suddenly focused, as if registering only one word. "Return?" whispered Annabeth, under her breath. Chaos somehow heard it, and winked at her before disappearing. The moment she left, the entire throne room erupted into—for lack of a better word—chaos.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Aftermath

_[ AN: Again, I am not Rick Riordan. None of these characters are mine :(_

_Except a few OCs that you'll meet in Chapter 3. But that's later. ]_

**Chapter 2: The Aftermath**

Percy was dead. At least, that was what everyone believed, even though Chaos had suggested otherwise. Hades himself made the announcement that he had felt Percy's soul leave his body, although they searched for his soul all over the Underworld and never found it. But he was gone. Five months of every Olympian searching for him, and nobody could find him. Nobody had a clue whether he was actually dead.

They both praised him and cursed him, as the embodiment of the proverb, "_He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become one." _They held a funeral for him. They made a tomb for him, and a monument.

The only one not present at any of these occasions was Annabeth. The only one who didn't believe any of it was Annabeth. They called her crazy. Even Thalia and Grover and Rachel and Nico and all her closest friends, though they never said it to her face.

But she was sure he was innocent, and she was sure he wasn't dead, for three reasons.

First, she had seen it with her own eyes. It really _wasn't_ Percy that had killed Artemis. She was sure of it now. That look in his eyes, it reminded Annabeth of Kronos inhabiting Luke's body. But whatever had taken over Percy wasn't Kronos. It had been worse. Colder, more cruel. Evil.

Second reason: Percy hadn't died, he had disappeared. They never found the body or the soul. Besides, he had a habit of dodging certain death.

Third, and most importantly, he had promised. And Percy never, _ever_ broke his promises.

_Always together, Wise Girl_.

* * *

Annabeth didn't protest when they granted her immortality, along with the rest of the Seven. She had one extra request, on Percy's behalf: to expand the reforms that he had begun and to grant partial immortality to the old campers from the Titan War.

Strangely, on the very day she made that request, a new constellation appeared in the sky. Though nobody had seen it before, they all somehow recognized the shape. It was a man holding a sword. It seemed as if the universe was on Percy's side. Annabeth sent a silent prayer of thanks to Chaos.

The Olympians agreed without much protest. What Annabeth suggested was, after all, what Percy would have asked. The old benevolent Titans, like Calypso, were truly freed. Demigod kids were claimed upon arrival to either Camp, and both camps were kept safe and stable by the small groups of immortal veteran demigods. A lasting peace was established throughout the Western world.

With Annabeth's tireless work, peace was also established between the Greeks and the Romans. Rome's political system was reformed, put under the supervision of two immortal Consuls—the gods chose Jason and Reyna. Camp Half-blood was expanded, and under Annabeth's guidance and planning, grew into a city as big as New Rome.

It was everything Percy had once dreamed of. A place for demigods to live and love in peace, safe from the bloody, cruel lives that their predecessors had led. A home. Aristos, they called it, the city of the best.

Annabeth became a sort of legend in both the Greek and Roman worlds. The Olympians even offered her godhood, as a minor god of intelligence. But she refused. The only reason she had accepted immortality in the first place was so that she could wait for him, until the end of time if necessary.

For many, many years, nothing would ever be the same. Not without him.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Champions

_[ AN: Of course, it takes more than a little lightning bolt to kill Perseus Jackson. Enjoy the chapter! And no, I'm not Rick Riordan. ]_

**Chapter 3: The Champions**

Percy's eyes struggled open. He was lying somewhere, in a field. A field of delicate white flowers. It brought back memories of a plant called moonlace, the flowers a lonely girl had given him so many years ago. But strangely, there was no moon in the sky above here, only a bright white light. He blinked. The sky was white?

He blinked again. A head of long, curly hair stood over him. Gray eyes stared back at him. "Annabeth?" he whispered. But no, this girl's hair was brown. And so was her skin. She was...from India? Those eyes, though gray, were nothing like Annabeth's. They were the cool, indifferent blue-gray of steel.

"So they weren't lying about your loyalty, huh?" the girl asked, grinning. "Back from the dead, and the first thing you think of is her."

His vision slowly widened, and he saw a circle of people around him, dressed in dark colors, the girl before him included. And they were all armed. Instinctively, he rolled to his feet and Riptide sprang to life before him.

The girl right in front of him backed away, twirling her...trident? "Whoa, relax, Seaweed Brain! Nobody's going to hurt you!"

A boy with long golden hair walked up beside her, holding a warhammer defensively. "Besides, you think we'd be foolish enough to take you on? With Chaos' blessing, you'd take all six of us down in seconds! Relax. You're safe now."

Percy was still tense, shocked that the girl had called him _Seaweed Brain_. "How do you know who I am?"

"Because I told them," a voice behind him said. He wheeled around and came face to face with a being that seemed to be made of pure darkness, her skin speckled with stars and galaxies.

"You..." And for some reason, the name came naturally to him. He knew who this was. The raw power radiating from her skin seemed familiar, almost comforting. "Lady Chaos." He tried to bow quickly.

Chaos laughed. "You're smarter than they give you credit for. No need to bow to me! You're my favorite grandson! Well, specifically, I'd be your great-great-grandma, but it's easier to just call you grandson, don't you think? And don't _you_ dare call me Granny! Just Chaos is fine."

Percy was having a bit of trouble processing everything, especially with the speed at which Chaos talked. "Okay. Wait." Percy's eyes widened. "Favorite grandson?"

"Of course," said Chaos. "I've been watching you for a long time, Perseus. You are the greatest hero to ever live. You have only one flaw, but you're so amazing that you even make that look good! Ha, loyalty! Who ever heard of that being a flaw? You are the definition of the word _hero_."

Percy's face grew red. "I'm not much of a hero. I'm just doing what I can."

At this, the ring of people around him burst into laughter. "This is what I like about you, Percy," said Granny Chaos. "So modest!"

_Gods, no, I'm starting to think of her as my grandma!_ thought Percy. _Wait, what if she can read my thoughts? ... _He tried to change the subject.

"Thanks, by the way. For listening to my wish. And for saving my life afterward."

"No problem," said Chaos. "Although, right now, you're technically dead, you know that?"

"Yeah, I figured," said Percy. "I can't feel my toes. Now, can I get an explanation? What's going on? Where am I? Who are these people? What is Chaos'—your—blessing?"

"Slow down!" said Chaos. "I may be the Creator of the Universe, but even I have a limit to how fast I can talk." Percy found that difficult to believe. "Anyway, I have all of Creation to take care of. I'll talk to you later."

"When?"

"Soon." Her eyes grew dark and serious. "We need to talk, you know. I'm sorry for everything that happened. It wasn't supposed to happen like that, and I owe you a true explanation. But for now, I'll leave the easy explaining to them." She gestured at the ring of people, then gave Percy a quick hug and disappeared in a flash of darkness.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Granny," Percy muttered. "I'm glad we got, what, five minutes of quality time together?"

The golden-haired boy chuckled. "She's always busy. She'll be home for dinner."

"Dinner?" asked Percy. "Where are we?"

"Good question to start with," said the curly-haired girl. "We are currently in Star Realm. Look down."

Reluctantly, Percy looked down at what he had thought was a field of white flowers. And then something in his vision shifted, and he yelped. The girl laughed. He was staring down at Earth. The ground below him seemed to be there and not there at the same time, and each white flower suddenly became a star.

"We're...standing in the stars?" gulped Percy.

"Yeah, it's a shocker to everybody on their first night," said the golden-haired boy. "Just don't look down. It's a long drop." He held out a hand. "I'm Erik, by the way. Son of Thor."

Percy returned the handshake, and then his eyes widened. "Son of Thor?"

"Yeah, as in the Norse god Thor." Erik pointed to the girl. "This is Shanti, a partial incarnation of Durga."

"A...what?"

Shanti laughed. "It's complicated. I'll explain on the way."

"The way to what?" asked Percy. And then he saw it, the palace of pure darkness that seemed to take up the entire left side of his vision. _How did I miss that earlier?_ "Oh."

Everyone laughed. Shanti waved a hand elaborately. "Welcome, Percy, to your new home. Chaos' palace, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way."

"_What_?" said Percy. "That shouldn't be possible. A black hole is her _palace_? Even as dumb as I am, I know the universe has laws of physics, right?"

"Eh, what are a couple rules to the Creator of the Universe?" asked Shanti.

Percy facepalmed. "Good point. So, anyway, you owe me an explanation."

"Right," said Erik. He gestured for the others to come up. There were six of them in total, dressed in black clothes and armor that seemed to be of all different styles and time periods.

Percy himself was still wearing his Greek-style armor, but now it was pitch-black, speckled with stars like Chaos' own skin. To his sudden astonishment, Riptide was no longer bronze, but a bright, blinding orange-white, like the surface of the sun.

"Wait, first, what happened to my sword?" asked Percy.

"Oh, Riptide, you mean?" said Erik. "Now that you're actually standing among the stars, the Celestial bronze has reverted to its true form."

"And where exactly are we? I understand that it's the Star Realm, or whatever, but what exactly is a _realm_?"

"There are many realms, like worlds," said Shanti. "As many as Chaos imagines there to be, and because of that, there are as many pantheons and gods and mythologies as Chaos wants there to be. Of course, there is only one Earth, one mortal world, but there are thousands of layers to the universe, like layers of a cake."

"And we're in the highest layer?" asked Percy.

"One of the highest," Erik replied. "We are in Chaos' home realm, the Star Realm. The only layer higher than this is the Void, and trust me, you do _not_ want to go there."

"Okay," said Percy. "I think I get it. And you all are?"

"We are the Six Champions of Chaos," said Shanti. "Well, Seven Champions, seeing as you're here now. You're kind of being volunteered—"

"More like voluntold," said Erik under his breath.

Shanti shot him a glare. "Fine, a better word might be, _recruited_ to be our leader."

"Wait, wait, wait." said Percy. "_What_? Who are you guys?"

"Percy, you need to pay attention. We are the Champions of Chaos. We defend the universe. And I do mean the _whole_ universe."

"And you're forcing me to join you guys?" protested Percy. "Is that what Chaos contacted me about in a dream? I'm kinda rethinking whether I should take this job offer..."

"At this point, you don't really have much of a choice," said Erik. "You're supposed to be dead. The only thing keeping your soul 'alive' and out of your Greek Underworld is the blessing of Chaos. It granted you immortality, and returned your soul to your physical body, and it gave you some...other powers, which you will soon discover for yourself."

"Blessing of Chaos, huh? You mean the darkness that helped me defeat Gaea? It felt similar to Chaos', whatever you call it, aura."

"Exactly," beamed Shanti. "You really are smarter than you look."

"Hey!" said Percy indignantly. "I have feelings, you know! Now, if I'm being forced—sorry, _volunteered_—to join you, at least introduce yourselves."

They all shared a look, as if silently conversing. Eventually, Shanti nodded. "Well, of course, I'm Shanti." She twirled her trident. "I'm not really what you'd call a demigod, Hindu gods don't always work like that. I'm more like...an avatar, a human shell, housing a fragment of the soul of a god. I am an avatar of Durga, the goddess of warriors. I'm actually one of the most powerful goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. But currently, I'm supposed to be dead, Chaos recruited me like you. I'm Champion of Love."

"I only got like half of that...you talk almost as fast as Chaos," said Percy. "Wait. Champion of Love? You guys have domains? Like gods?"

"Well, sort of," replied Shanti. "We each have one quality that Chaos has deemed a core quality of life, or the Good. We also have cool individual powers, but I'll let you figure that out on your own." She winked. "Less explaining for me that way. Erik?"

The son of Thor leaned on his hammer like a cane. "I'm Erik, as you already know. Champion of Courage, by the way. And no, this isn't my father's hammer. It's a replica made by Chaos. I'm my father's only demigod son, so I'm kind of unique. Hanu?"

"Of course," said a dark-haired, chocolate-skinned young man, holding a golden mace. "I'm Hanuman, or just Hanu, Champion of Honor. Son of the Hindu god of the wind, Vayu. Strongest man alive—well, sort of man."

And then Percy noticed the tail. A really long tail. "Are you...a monkey?"

Hanu sighed. "To put it simply, yes. Sort of man. Strongest monkey-man alive."

Percy grinned. "You know, there's a Greek demigod who'd probably give you a run for your money. Not as friendly as you though."

"Who, Heracles?" asked Hanu. "I arm-wrestled him two thousand years ago! It caused an earthquake in Israel, apparently. Same day some important guy died there."

"Alright, enough with the saloon tales, you big ape," said another girl, smacking him playfully with a staff. She seemed familiar. She was very beautiful, in a strange, eerie way. She had dark blue eyes, the color of deep ocean. "I'm Lev. Leviathan, Champion of Grace. As in, kindness. You should know me, son of the sea."

"I feel like I do," said Percy. "But you must be from another mythology."

"Judaism," she replied. "This is my human form. I'm a sea monster, the very first one Chaos created. It's great to finally meet you!"

The next one was a dark-skinned man, lean and tall. Coiled in his hands was a whip, which on closer inspection, seemed to be made with intertwined strands of...silk? "I go by many names," he said with a grin. "If you need any advice—especially on the ladies—ask me anytime! Most call me Anansi, spider spirit, trickster king, Champion of Wisdom, wisest man alive, in fact."

"Self-proclaimed," Shanti muttered behind his back. "I swear, his ego has only grown over the centuries."

Percy turned to the last person, a woman wearing a wolf mask and light armor. He blinked. _Greek_ armor. He stared at the bow in her hands. She stared at Riptide in his. Slowly, she took off her mask.

Percy was shocked speechless. "Zoe?"

She gave a small smile. "Good to see you again, Perseus."

There was a long moment of silence. Suddenly, Zoe closed the distance and embraced him. Percy stood shocked for a moment before returning the hug.

As Zoe stepped back, she ruffled his hair. There was a strange glint in her eyes, as if she was about to cry. "You've grown so much, Percy."

"I'll always be the same dumb boy you used to know."

"Man," she corrected. "You are a Champion now. By my eyes, you are the only male worthy of being called a man among us. Hanu would count as well, but sadly, he's a monkey. Erik is too stubborn, and Anansi is a spider and a flirt."

Percy laughed. "It's good to see you, too, Zoe. How are you here?"

"Well, I learned that this Star Realm, it's actually Ouranos' kingdom," said Zoe. "The moment before I died, Chaos appeared to me in a dream and asked me if I would join her army, an army of the stars, to continue to defend the world I love. And I said yes. My constellation is here," she pointed to a patch of flowers in the distance with a glowing sign that said _The Huntress_.

"What are you Champion of?" asked Percy.

"I'm the Champion of Sacrifice. Selflessness."

Percy smiled. "That fits you well." He paused. "Wait, then what am I?"

They all gathered around him. "You," said Zoe, "are the Champion of Humanity."

The silence returned. "Humanity?" he asked quietly.

"Humanity," confirmed Shanti. "Everything that makes us human. The heart of the Good. You are all of us combined, and so much more."

There was a moment of silence. Then Percy waved at everyone. "Let's go, you guys. Explain on the way. I'm hungry, and as long as I get free buffet meals, I'll take whatever job you need me to."

They all laughed.

"And I need to find Chaos," Percy added.

"What for?" asked Erik.

"I need to find out how to get back." They all stared at him. "No, I'm not kidding. I promised Annabeth."

"Percy," Zoe began slowly. "Do you remember what happened? Before you...died?"

And suddenly, he remembered everything. The horror, the hurt, the betrayal. The pain of electrocution. He shivered. _They'd kill me again, or I'd be an outcast._

"I can't go back, can I? Not yet."

And then he realized something. Here, fighting for Chaos, he might have a fresh start.

"I don't really _want_ to go back, do I?"

* * *

_[ AN: Finally, things are moving along nicely. ]_


	4. Chapter 4 - The Army

_[ AN: So this chapter is light, and basically full of introductions and reunions and dialogue. Enjoy! ]_

**Chapter 4: The Army**

_[ In Chaos' palace, during dinner, the night Percy arrives... ]_

Percy stared at his unit, the group he was going to command in Chaos' army. It was not the group itself that surprised him. It was the face at the very front. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Bianca?"

She ran up and hugged the life out of him. "Percy! I knew you'd make it here someday!"

"Bianca—can't—breathe"

She relaxed a bit, but didn't let him go. "Thank you," she whispered. "For keeping him safe."

Percy knew who _he_ was. Nico. Yet another person he had left behind on Earth.

He returned the hug. "I still broke my promise to him. To keep _you _safe."

She smiled sadly. "Yeah. You did. But it's okay. I've been watching from up here, and I think you've made up for all your faults by saving the world and everything. By the way, the gods are going to grant Nico immortality tonight. And the rest of the Seven."

"You can see them from here? How?"

"Chaos will show you how."

Bianca led him away from the other six Champions, who each went to eat at their own tables. Percy and Bianca went to a table on the far end of the enormous hall. A group of warriors greeted him, all in their teens or early twenties.

"Is it just me, or did everyone here die young?" whispered Percy.

"Most of them did," said Bianca sadly. "But Chaos lets us change our ages and appearances if we want to. Most change to their late teens. Makes them feel strong, with a bit of the freedom of youth."

"Did you change your age?" asked Percy. "You definitely look older now."

"Yeah," she replied. "I chose sixteen. I never got the chance to live that far, you know? I thought it would be nice to know how it felt."

"Oh." Percy was unsure what to say. "So...can I change my age, too?"

Bianca giggled. "Why would you _want_ to? You're pretty much at your prime, Percy."

He suddenly felt very self-conscious. She was staring at him with a strange smile. He gazed at himself, and realized Bianca was right. He was at his best, nearly eighteen, young and lean and muscular, and he didn't mind staying that way. He was, after all, going to be the commander of an army of superpowered immortal teens just like him.

Percy's gaze wandered around his table, judging the soldiers. All of them had seen battle. Percy could see it in their eyes, their iron wills. But all of them had a softer side, too. A human side, which was evident in their wide smiles...and the shadows and lines on their faces. All of them were heroes, and all of them had experienced pain. Percy wondered how he could read their expressions so well, and then he realized. It was the same expression he saw every time he looked in the mirror.

They were just like him, he realized. Broken heroes.

"So," began Percy, clearing his throat. At this, the entire mess hall quieted. _Seriously?_ thought Percy. _Is my voice that commanding? Or just loud?_

He could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on him. He decided to address the whole army at once. "According to the other Champions, I've been...ahem, _volunteered_ to be your leader, or general, or something like that." He could almost hear Shanti snickering somewhere. "A few of you already know me, but to those of you who don't, my name is Percy. Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon."

The whole hall erupted in gasps, and then whispers. Percy continued uncertainly. "So I'm guessing you must have heard of me, at least. I'd love to get to know you all, but right now, I'm hungry, so introductions after dinner would be best. And by the way, it seems that there are at least two hundred of you, so I apologize if I forget your name. My brain tends to shut down during dinnertime." Everyone laughed. "Other than that, I don't know what else to say. I'm not really thrilled to be here, but I guess if the universe needs me...well, yeah. Thanks." Everyone clapped at his half-baked speech, which made Percy blush in embarrassment.

"Very inspiring," said Bianca dryly, leading him to the head of his table.

He took the seat hesitantly, while Bianca took the seat directly to his right. Food immediately appeared before him, exactly what he was thinking about—steak, blue cookies, blue ice cream, and blue coke.

Bianca shook her head disapprovingly. "Gods, Percy. Ever heard of eating healthy?" Her own meal appeared before her, and they began to eat while talking, over the backdrop of the conversation throughout the table.

"Are you like my second-in-command or something?" asked Percy.

"Yeah," she replied. "Lieutenant of the Swordsmen." It was then that Percy noticed that every single warrior of his unit wore swords. From shortswords to broadswords to scimitars to katanas to the occasional Egyptian _khopesh_, his group seemed to be a mix of every long blade in history.

"But you were a Hunter of Artemis, an archer, right?" said Percy.

Bianca shrugged. "I was, until I discovered this beauty in Chaos' armory." She drew a black shortsword halfway out of its sheath. Percy was almost blinded by the pure darkness that it seemed to give off. "Eclipse, forged from Chaos' own darkness. She kind of grew on me. We have a mutual understanding, she's very friendly."

"_She_?" asked Percy. "You talk to your sword?"

"You don't talk to Riptide?" asked Bianca.

"Riptide and I don't really need words to get along," said Percy. "We're more of the _actions speak louder_ type."

Bianca laughed. "I could tell. Now, you should probably get to know your unit, because tomorrow you're probably going to be eating with the Champions. Chaos is gone today, she's probably busy, but she'll be back."

"Oh, speaking of Chaos, I need to talk to her."

"What for?"

"About _her_. I need a way to contact Annabeth."

Bianca stared at his face as she realized what he meant. "You really love her. Annabeth."

He nodded. Bianca sighed. "There's no way back to the truly living," she said. "Even when we go down to Earth to fight, to stop evil, we're nothing but spirits. The living can see us, and talk to us, but they can't touch us. But Chaos says there will be a day when we can return to the mortal world, with new bodies. A day when the skies will fall. It's coming soon. Can you wait that long?"

He exhaled slowly. "If I have to, I'll wait. I know she will. Annabeth will wait for me."

Percy spent the rest of the night meeting every member of his unit, thirty in all. When they finished dinner, the unit led him to their wing of the palace, where they slept—because apparently there was day and night in Star Realm, white sky, black sky. Long after they had all fallen asleep Percy wandered the palace, bumping into a few people and eventually finding his way out to the star fields.

He walked over to _The Huntress_, and sat crosslegged on the ground, staring down. The sensation, familiar by now, washed over him. The ground became transparent, and below him he saw Earth. He saw his home. He sat and stared for a long time, trying to hold back the tears.

After a while, Bianca and Zoe found him. They sat on either side of him, Bianca leaning on his shoulder, Zoe loosely holding his hand, while he sobbed silently.

Chaos found him there, and shooed off Zoe and Bianca. She held out a hand. Percy accepted it, and she raised him to his feet. She led him in a casual stroll around the star fields, pointing out different things. On the other side of the star fields was Ouranos' palace, a solid sky-blue, which seemed tiny in comparison to Chaos' own palace. All around were other buildings, where the ancient sky spirits and the spirits of the constellations lived. Far in the distance was a vast ocean.

Eventually, she led him to what seemed like a gardening shed in the middle of the star fields, where she picked up a shovel and a packet of glowing seeds. She brought him to a small bare patch of ground and handed him both.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Plant your own constellation," she replied. So Percy set to work, not quite sure what he was doing, digging holes and planting seeds in no apparent pattern. When he was done, he stepped back, and Chaos snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, a whole patch of the white flowers sprang to life. When he looked closer, he could see the stars beneath the flowers. And though he was awful at constellations, with this one, he could almost envision the glowing lines connecting the dots. He knew what it was. It was a man holding a sword.

And just like that, Chaos snapped her fingers and a sign appeared. _The Swordsman._

"Step into your constellation," she said.

"Why?" asked Percy.

"You wanted to see her, didn't you? The stars will be your eyes."

So he stepped into the flower patch that was his constellation, trying not to trample any flowers. He looked down, and thought of Annabeth. To his surprise, he saw a vision, like the demigod dreams he sometimes had.

He saw Annabeth in the throne room, with his other friends, being granted immortality. He saw her ask the gods for a request on his behalf. More reforms, exactly as he would have asked, continuing the work that he had begun.

He wanted to call her name. He could feel it, burning on his tongue.

"You can watch her from here," said Chaos. "But you cannot speak to her."

Percy stepped back from the stars. "Why am I here, Chaos? I want to be there, with her."

"I was just about to ask you that," she replied. "Why are you here? Why are you still alive? My blessing is much like Achilles' Curse. You must have a tether, Percy. Something keeping you in one piece, something keeping your soul from fading away."

Percy thought, then took a deep breath. "Loyalty. That's why I'm still alive. Loyalty to _her_, and to all of mankind. Because I don't care what the Olympians did to me. Earth is my home, and if humanity needs me, I'm here for them. Isn't that why you recruited me?"

Chaos gave a wide smile, and Percy could almost feel the power radiating from her like a supernova. "Exactly. This is why they need you, Percy. Because you'll be there for them, when everything else fails."

"Why would they need me when they have you?"

Chaos sighed. "Judgement Day is coming, Percy. When the skies start falling, I can't be around to handle every threat."

"Judgement Day?"

"I'll explain everything. But promise me, Percy, that you will hear me out. I don't want you to feel like I'm using you as a pawn. Believe me, if I could, I would never involve you, or the rest of my army, or anyone, in this coming war. I would have preferred to fight this enemy alone."

"What coming war? Who is this enemy?"

Chaos sighed again, then looked him in the eyes. Percy suddenly wondered how old she really was.

"My brother."


	5. Chapter 5 - The Final Prophecy

_[ Previously on Earthshaker's Shadow... ]_

"_What coming war? Who is this enemy?"_

_Chaos sighed again, then looked him in the eyes. Percy suddenly wondered how old she really was. "My brother."_

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Final Prophecy**

"Your brother?"

"Yes." Chaos' eyes darkened. "My brother Order. He is my antithesis, everything I fight against. I am original darkness, from which everything is born. He is original light, in which everything ends. I build up, he burns down."

"And he's your _brother?_ Have you always been enemies?"

"No. We were best friends, until we had one little argument, long ago. I won that fight. But there was a price. I lost my only brother. The Universe that you know is only the good realms, my realms. There are other Shadow Realms, right beneath our noses, where all of our enemies lurk. The Shadow Realms are the prison I built, where I spread his consciousness far and wide, much like the Titan Kronos you defeated."

"You mean, Order has a chance to reform? Like Kronos did?"

"Exactly. He has been amassing followers. You already know a few. Kronos reformed as part of Order's plans. Gaea, my own daughter, went mad because of Order's corrupting influence. Order has been pulling puppet strings from the shadows. Even you are not strong enough to resist."

"What?" An ugly feeling was settling on his heart. "Wait, earlier, what did you call him? The original light?" And then everything clicked. The white light.

"Exactly," said Chaos, as if she could read his mind. "It was Order, not you."

"No," said Percy. "Part of it was me." He shivered to the bone. "I heard him. I heard his voice in my head, and it was so soothing, so friendly. And it told me the things that I myself had been afraid of thinking, my darkest secrets. And then...and then..." Percy almost began to sob.

"You have to remember, Percy. You have to confront your own demons. Just remember, Order's light will never fight off those shadows. It will only cast more." She looked Percy in the eyes. "This may seem counterintuitive, but the only thing that can fight shadows is darkness. Original darkness."

Percy nodded.

"Now, try to remember."

He closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to overcome him.

* * *

_Percy felt Gaea's dagger plunge into his chest. _

I'm going to die, _he thought. _Sorry, Wise Girl.

_And then some part of Percy wondered what he had done to deserve such a death. His entire life, all he had done was fight for the sake of the gods, for the sake of his "family," and what had he earned? A brutal death. His entire future, his love, taken from him._

You deserve more! _some voice whispered to him, deep in his heart._

_And then some part of Percy was angry, that the gods treated their children like this. Expected their children to fight their wars, and then once the wars were over, treated them like trash, like disposable tools. Some part of Percy began to rage. In the end, no matter everything Percy had done to try to change them, the gods were still the same._

_And some part of Percy was furious to the bone, that all his fallen friends had died in vain. That Luke Castellan had died in vain. In the end, the cycle remained. A prophecy, a war, demigods killed like sacrificial lambs, and then a short peace before the next war._

_And Percy decided, then and there, that there would be no more wars. There would be no more pain. _Yes, _the voice in his heart said. _No more pain. Only light. Light to drive away the darkness, forever.

_And Percy felt the blinding white light surrounding him, taking over his vision. He felt Riptide shining like the sun. He felt...invincible. Like he could put an end to this cycle of evil. Like he could destroy the world._

* * *

Percy gasped. It felt as if he was drowning. He blinked, and opened his eyes. He was sitting cross-legged, in the middle of the star fields. Chaos sat beside him.

"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked.

He nodded, still fighting to breathe. "That was—terrifying. I was—I was terrifying."

"You see now?" she asked. "What I'm trying to fight?" He nodded. She laughed bitterly. "I'm sorry, Percy. Sorry for dragging you into this. I know you resent being used like a tool. Please, please understand what I'm fighting for. And please forgive me."

"Forgive you? What for?"

"I started all of this, at the beginning of time." As Percy stared into her eyes, he could almost envision the memories unfolding. "In the beginning, there was darkness. Nothing but darkness. Only me. And I felt so, so alone. So I created something. I created light, and gave him a name, and called him brother, though he was more like my son. And that started my obsession with creation. I perfected my skills, created stars, galaxies, planets. Eventually, I created Earth, and life. And that was when things went out of hand. Life, my creations, began to do things that I had never expected them to do. They began to act with cruelty, to act evil. Order blamed me. He wanted to burn it all down, to start again from a blank slate. But I couldn't do that. I loved all of my children too much. So we fought."

"And you won?"

"I won, but I lost him. Forever. I split his essence apart, into all the light in the universe, and scattered him across the realms. And you know what the last thing he told me was? _Sister, you say only darkness can overcome darkness. But if that is the truth, then only evil can overcome evil. You were right, sister. I cannot destroy your creations. They must destroy themselves. I will sow the seed of evil, and I will show you how the thorns grow and choke themselves. I will show you how wretched your creations have become._"

Percy frowned sadly. "You lost him to everything he was trying to prevent."

And Chaos, to Percy's shock, began to cry. "Ironic, don't you think? He hated evil, but he who fought monsters became a monster himself." Chaos broke down into sobs. And for a second, though Percy knew how old Chaos really was, she seemed so young, just a heartbroken girl.

Percy didn't know what to do, so he put a comforting arm around her and said, "It wasn't your fault, Granny. He made the choice. And you know, if he's at rock-bottom, the only way he can go is up. Maybe he'll come back to you."

She shook her head. "He won't. Not if the Final Prophecy holds true."

Percy froze. The dreaded word.

"_Prophecy? _What Final Prophecy?"

"I'm not sure if it's even a prophecy. It's a dream I had, right after I defeated him long ago. _Light and Dark shall meet again. This time, it shall be the end._"

"What's so bad about a dream?"

Chaos rolled her glowing eyes. "Use that brain I made for you, Percy. Everything I imagine becomes reality. So if I dream about something..."

"You mean...oh, gods. No way." Percy shivered. "And I thought cryptic prophecies were bad. This one makes complete sense, and it's guaranteed to come true, and that just makes it scarier!"

"Exactly," said Chaos. "My brother is the light. I am the dark. If we do meet again, if we fight, the Universe will be destroyed. That's why I need you, Percy."

"Why?"

"When the day comes, I will fight Order. But who will fight the legions of shadows that he unleashes on Earth? He knows me well, he knows I have a soft spot for my creations. He will try to destroy my children on Earth to distract me. I need to be prepared for that." She gazed at him for a long time. "That's why I have _you_. That is, if you're still willing. When Judgement Day comes, I won't be there to protect the world, but you will. Won't you?"

Percy didn't hesitate. "Always."

* * *

_[ AN: I know, I know, the cliche old prophecy. Chaos vs. Order, battle of the ages, yada yada. Bear with me. It will get better ;) ]_


	6. Chapter 6 - The Training Ground

_[ AN: Hey, I realize that this is a cliche Chaos story. Yes, I know there are many like it. Thank you, readers, few though you are right now, for taking the time to look at this. It means a lot to me. And this is kinda a strange chapter, I don't know what drove me to write it. Enjoy! ]_

**Chapter 6: The Training Ground**

"Where are we going?" asked Percy.

Shanti still didn't reply. Percy guessed he had asked at least a million times, and she still wouldn't say. He was beginning to get annoyed.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

There was an oddly serious look on Shanti's face. They walked to the end of a hallway in Chaos' castle, finally reaching a set of plain dark doors.

"Are we there yet?"

She kicked the door open, and Percy was shocked speechless. He stepped through the door, and found himself on a grassy meadow, high up at the foot of a mountain range. The air was crisp, the wind was cool, and the sunshine bathed his vision like liquid gold. It wasn't anywhere familiar, but it was Earth.

It was home.

Percy turned to her. Only one word seemed to come to mind. "How?"

She shrugged, her dark brown curls bouncing around her face. It reminded him of Annabeth. So many things about her reminded him of Annabeth. He tried not to think about it too much.

"This isn't Earth," she said. "It's not what you think. This is a pocket realm, a tiny figment of Chaos' imagination. We call it the training ground."

"The training ground?"

"You're not ready to take up your position as commander," she said simply. "You need more training. And that starts now."

"What—"

Percy could barely jump backward as Shanti's trident, Snakebite, shot toward him, barely missing his head. He rocked on his heels, one hand on the hilt of Riptide, but he forced himself not to draw it.

"What are you doing, Shanti?" he cried.

She raised Snakebite at him in challenge. "Fight me."

"What? Why?"

Shanti didn't answer, instead stabbing him again, aiming for his ribs. He rolled to the side, drawing Riptide and baring his teeth. "Fine. You asked for it."

To his surprise, her serious expression cracked, and a grin shone through. "Bring it on, Seaweed Brain."

He lunged forward, mock-growling. "Oh no you didn't! Now it's personal."

Thirty minutes into the fight, Shanti finally got an edge on him, kicking under him and sweeping him off his feet. His head hit the ground with a thud, but he was already rolling backward, to a more balanced position. But she was on him in a split-second, with Snakebite's three sharp spearpoints at his throat.

She grinned down at him. "Do you know why I asked you to do this, Percy?"

He stared up at her steel-gray eyes. "To train me?"

"Yes and no," she replied. "I wanted to see who you are. Who you really are. You understand?"

Percy blinked. In fact, he did. Combat revealed identity more than anything else could. He knew that from experience.

"I used to be the leader of the Champions, Percy." Shanti sat beside him on the grass.

Percy was slick with sweat, his muscles burning lightly, but she seemed perfectly fine.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"I . . . wanted to be honest with you." She looked down sheepishly. "I was a bit jealous of you for a long time. Every since Chaos saw you, she's adored you. Since your birth, she knew you would be the one to take this place at her side. And that . . . that made me angry. But that's why I wanted you to fight me. I want to know who you are, why she chose you. Words aren't enough. Words are never the truth."

Percy nodded in understanding. "Combat is truth for you, isn't it?"

She grit her teeth. Percy could tell something was bothering her, something she had been waiting to tell someone, anyone. He waited a moment. She was silent.

He decided to force her hand. "Shanti, who are you?"

There was a short silence. She burst out laughing. "You really know exactly what to say at just the right moment, don't you?" Her smile faded as quickly as it had come. "Who am I? I am Shanti, an orphan of war. I am the last partial incarnation of Durga, Hindu goddess of warriors. The funny thing is, my name means peace."

Percy listened silently.

"I've lived thousands of lives, Percy. The memories of every single incarnation of Durga live inside my head. And you know what scares me? Every single one was a warrior. A killer. It's what I was, too, when I lived on Earth, decades ago. War is the only truth I know. Even after death, after I joined Chaos, I've been fighting evil. I'm the best there is, the most brilliant, the most ruthless. But I can't do the one duty Chaos gave me."

"What?"

"I'm supposed to be Champion of Love, Percy. It's the one thing I've never been able to do. It's the same for all of the Champions. Erik, for all his courage, he's scared of a lot of things. His father's disappointment, his own weaknesses. Hanu endures death because he thinks he failed to act honorably in life. Leviathan, though Champion of Kindness, has a wild, animalistic side that she can't control. Anansi's wisdom makes him sad, depressed to the point that he wastes away for months on end. Zoe is afraid her sacrifices were worthless, or weren't enough."

Percy stared at her. "What are you saying?"

"I know why Chaos chose you now, Percy. All of us, we have flaws. But the way you fight, you fight with love and courage and honor and kindness and wisdom and sacrifice. You fight with everything you are, protecting everything and everyone at any cost to yourself. Like a mother defending her children. Even when you fought me just now."

"What? Who was I defending when I fought you?"

"You were defending _me_, Percy. From you. I could tell. You pulled half your strikes, you slipped up a few times, to keep me from getting hurt. If you had fought me honestly, you could have beat me. I know it."

"What? No, Shanti, you're more skilled than me! You hardly even broke a sweat!"

"I'm more experienced, Percy. But you have oceans of raw talent. And a perfect heart to balance your sword. Something none of us have. That's why Chaos chose you."

Percy frowned. "You think I'm perfect? You can add me to that list of failed Champions, Shanti. Champion of Humanity? I killed Gaea in cold blood. I nearly made her fade! The world! I nearly destroyed the planet! Where was my humanity when I needed it?"

He paused, trying not to remember the power flowing through his veins. He could almost hear Order's voice even now.

"The truth is, Shanti," he continued, "we all have faults. We're all still human. Well, mostly. But the thing about humans is, we're living beings. Yeah, we make mistakes, we don't live up to what our loved ones deserve, we fall from the pedestals people put us on. But we get up every time. We grow."

Shanti gazed at him for a long time.

Then she burst into laughter, collapsing onto the ground.

Percy glared at her. "What?"

"That was...that was..." She rolled over, still clutching her stomach. "Hahaha! My gods! That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, in all two thousand years of my life!" Percy's glare sharpened. She only laughed even more, poking his nose. "My gods. Wittle Percy Jackson has a squishy feelings side!"

"Enough," he growled. "And why does your breath stink? It smells like metal."

"Really?" she asked. "That's your best comeback?"

He glared at her again.

They sat in silence for a while. Eventually, she jumped to her feet and offered him a hand.

"Thanks," he said, getting up.

"No," she replied, her face suddenly serious. "Thank you. I was almost as depressed as Anansi right there. Now, get ready."

"For what?"

She grinned wickedly. "Training. I was going easy on you the first time. I've got thousands of years of Durga's battle experience in me, and I intend to beat every second of that into you. You need to be a lot better than you are if you're gonna face the armies of Order on Judgement Day."

Percy grinned, raising Riptide in challenge. "Are you calling me weak, Metal Mouth?"

She shot the grin right back. "You bet I am, Jellyfish!"

"Jellyfish?" Percy growled, dashing forward in a slash. "I'm insulted!"

And they were at it again. Percy knew, somehow, that this would be the first of many more duels to come.

* * *

_[ AN: What did you think? Let me know! ]_


	7. Chapter 7 - The Birthday

_[ AN: Another boring chapter. I'm sorry, okay? The real fun chapters are on the way. Not that this chapter isn't important. And btw, I am a strong believer in the unbreakability of Percabeth ;) ]_

**Chapter 7: The Birthday**

_[ On Earth, a few months after the death of Percy ]_

It was Percy's birthday. All of Camp Half-Blood had thrown a party, for Sally's sake. Percy's mother had been devastated by the news when she had heard it a few months ago. Her only son was dead. But Annabeth had confided in her, the secret that Chaos had told her.

Percy would return.

It was easier that way. It was easier to believe that Percy would, one day, come back. It was easier to accept than the alternative, the truth that was more probable, more logical and Athena-like. That Percy was dead.

That Annabeth would never again see that windswept hair, those sea-green eyes, that teasing lopsided grin. That Annabeth would never again kiss him underwater, or eat blue birthday cake with him, or walk through hell with him. That Annabeth would never again get to call him _Seaweed Brain_.

Those were her nightmares. The ones that scared her even more than her dreams of the horrors of Tartarus, or her memories of the battle with Gaea.

* * *

_[ Star Realm, a few weeks D.P. ]_

Percy loved his family. His new family. Erik and Shanti and Zoe were like older siblings, and Bianca was like a little sister. Leviathan was sort of the loving mother of the group, Hanuman was the protective dad, Anansi was the funny uncle. And above it all, Chaos was the all-powerful grandma.

If this was what Chaos had offered him in the dream when she said "a new family," Percy could not have asked for more. Well, he still wanted to return to Annabeth, and his mother, and Paul, and Tyson, and Mrs. O'Leary, and Chiron, and, well, everybody...

But if he had to wait for Judgement Day, he could've been stuck in worse places. The Champs, as he had immediately taken to calling them, were actually a fun group. Anansi was even worse than Leo with his pranks. Erik loved to show off with lightning, much like Jason. Zoe was still Zoe, still kicking Percy's butt in archery. And if Leviathan could've met Hestia, they would have been best friends.

Percy both loved and hated how everyone in Star Realm reminded him of home.

And it killed him to think of it, but Chaos reminded Percy of his mother. His heart hurt for his mother. He hated to think of how much pain she must have suffered after hearing that her son had been executed, without her knowledge. He watched her still, from his constellation the _Swordsman_, late at night as she cried herself to sleep. She and Annabeth spent so much time together now. At least they had each other.

And Annabeth. Percy couldn't even express his emotions for her in words. It was strange, he thought, how the distance now between them only made him realize how much he loved her. It broke his heart every time he saw her crying in mourning. Even a month after his death, she hadn't let him go.

Shanti told him Annabeth never would let go. That was love.

Of course, there was Shanti. Percy and Shanti were made for each other. No, not like _that_. Made for battle.

Sure, Hanu could beat Percy in brute strength, but not in combat. Erik had incredible control over his lightning, but was too impulsive to last long in a fair fight. Anansi was a trickster; the only way he could beat Percy was by bending the rules. Lev didn't really like to fight, and Zoe's hunting knives were no match for Riptide.

Percy had trained with pretty much every Champion and every member of the Swordsmen unit, and not one could match his skills. Bianca was close, but Percy suspected that her shortsword Eclipse had something to do with that. That sword had a mind of its own.

But Percy was something else entirely. He was probably the greatest swordsman in history. And over the first few months, Percy had discovered what Shanti had called the "cool individual powers" each of the Champions had. At least, he had figured out his own, and most of Shanti's, through combat.

His single most useful combat ability was time-warping. His second was prescience. Once his instincts kicked into gear, everything around him seemed to slow down, literally. He could see moves before they occurred, sense events in the immediate future. This made him a better fighter than any soldier in Chaos' army.

But of course, Shanti's best ability was superspeed. Ridiculous superspeed. And that was why they were made for each other. Percy's abilities allowed him to see every gap in Shanti's defense, but Shanti was so fast that he couldn't land a blow. But of course, Percy could see where Shanti would strike next, so she couldn't land a blow either. They would duel for hours, uninterrupted, even through lunch break, when crowds would gather for the free entertainment.

It did wonders for their skills. They were like twin knives, sharpened against each other, Swordsman and Lancer. It was a fire-forged friendship, and their respective units became closer as well.

One night, after a grueling all-night duel, Percy and Shanti called it a day. Literally.

They collapsed in a heap on the grass of the training ground, gasping for breath and every muscle burning. Shanti lay sideways, using Percy's chest as a pillow. He didn't mind, even though his lungs hurt a little.

"I think you were on the verge of losing today, Jellyfish," she teased. "I had you cornered at the end. Could have disarmed you."

He rolled his eyes, deftly taking her hair and tying it into a knot. She yelped in anger. He laughed and ran his fingers through it, straightening it out.

She turned her head toward him and scowled. "One day, I'm gonna kill you."

Percy laughed. "You could try."

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and getting up. "I want to show you something. But you have to let me blindfold you."

Percy huffed. He didn't really like the idea, it sounded like another one of Anansi's pranks, but he trusted Shanti with his life. Besides, one of his powers was his prescient spacetime sense, which gave him a general idea of where he was, even without his five senses. If it was a prank, he would be able to tell. She blindfolded him and led him outside.

He knew the way, even though he couldn't see it. They walked out of the palace training grounds to the star fields. When they were in the middle of the star fields, she took off the blindfold. She motioned for him to look up.

Up at the blank sky of the Star Realm. The sky slowly faded from black to lighter and lighter shades of gray, as it usually did at "sunrise" in the Star Realm. Any moment now, it would turn white, announcing daytime.

And then, the sky was blue. Complete with clouds and sun and everything.

A blue sky _above _the Star Realm.

Percy blinked. "Am I going crazy?"

Shanti laughed, then surprised him by grabbing him from behind in a hug. She was still very warm from fighting, and her breath tickled his neck.

His face reddened. "Um..."

She laughed, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Percy. I know you're taken. It's just fun to tease you. And by the way, the sky is a present from Chaos."

"A present? For what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Happy birthday, Percy."

Percy's eyes widened. _Birthday?_

He suddenly remembered. Time flowed differently in Star Realm, because they were so close to Chaos' powerful aura. Everything slowed down, so that a few weeks here was equivalent to months on Earth. He supposed that on Earth, it really must have been his birthday.

"Oh." He stammered for a second. "I, uh, sort of forgot about that."

She laughed. "Well, Granny didn't!" She turned him around, and seemingly out of nowhere, tables and banners and enough food for hundreds of people appeared. A huge, Minotaur-sized, Minotaur-shaped cake appeared at the middle, surrounded by Chaos' army, and his best friends, the Champs. They all tackled him in a group hug, choking the daylight out of him.

"Now, now, kids, don't kill my superhero," said Chaos. "Save the energy for Judgement Day."

_Judgement Day_.

Suddenly, Percy's surprise birthday party didn't seem as bright. He laughed and smiled and put on a mask, but the feeling was still there. Whenever his friends weren't looking, he stared down at the Earth far below, where his old friends were.

He was just one hero. He had done his part, he had fought in two wars for the Olympians. But now, even after death, he was still a pawn, a much more powerful pawn. _No_, he thought. _Chaos doesn't see me as a pawn. She sees me almost like her own son._

But Percy was scared.

He hadn't even gone on a single mission yet. Chaos had been training him for weeks, preparing him. And that scared him more than anything. If Chaos herself thought _he_, Percy Jackson, wasn't prepared to face Order's minions, Percy wondered how powerful Order himself really was.

Percy would have to defend the world from Order. Even now, after "death", everyone relied on him. When the time came, would he alone be enough?

And then he stared at all the people around him, at the Champions. Shanti, whose unconditional love was brighter than any sunshine. Erik, who would go to the ends of the earth for his friends. Hanu, who would rather die than give up his ideals. Lev, whose heart was bigger than the ocean. Anansi, who beneath all his silliness, hid the accumulated wisdom and sadness of thousands of years. Zoe, who would willingly give her life to protect anyone in the name of Good.

And Percy realized the truth.

This was his family. He alone would never be enough to save the world. But all of them together? Order wouldn't stand a chance.


	8. Chapter 8 - The First Mission

**_[ AN: Hey, y'all, I know I should update on a regular schedule, but to be honest I just write when I feel like it. Hope that doesn't annoy you too much. And now, for a chapter I've been dying to write. Enjoy! ]_**

**Chapter 8: The First Mission**

_[ Star Realm, right after Percy's birthday party... ]_

Star Realm had oceans. Vast, bottomless oceans. They were actually pockets of "deep space," empty space, which Chaos liked to envision as water. Because of that, Star Realm had something else, as well. Beaches.

Because Star Realm was technically Ouranos' realm, the beings that lived there were his subjects, and they enjoyed the beaches. Percy had never known that sky spirits enjoyed building sand castles. Although Percy wondered if the beaches were actually sand, or really nebulae or something.

Slowly, the blue sky faded into red and gold as his birthday came to an end. He had never seen such a spectacular sunset before, and he probably never would have on Earth.

The thought of his homeworld only depressed him further. He stared out at the deep blue water, watched the waves lick between his toes, smelled the salt in the breeze. In the back of his head, some tiny voice screamed that it was all an illusion, that it was a fake reality that Chaos had imagined up for him.

Then he remembered that all realities were ones that Chaos had imagined up. What exactly was reality, anyway?

He sighed. He needed to go back to Earth. He didn't particularly want to, because he hadn't left on the best of terms, but he needed to see his home again.

"You will," said a soft voice.

Lev. One of her abilities was mind-reading, and she often read into people without their permission. Percy didn't mind. It was probably just second-nature for her, like his spacetime instincts were for him. Besides, Leviathan was too kind to hurt anyone. She was the leader of the Healers.

"I know it's difficult," she continued. "To stare out at this false ocean. I know. I miss my home, too. True, deep ocean. I can wade into these waters, but I can't swim far, because Chaos prevents it. This isn't ocean, it's deep space. I would freeze to death in the cold void out there." Lev paused. "But I promise you, soon, we will go back. Your first mission to the Greek realm is coming soon, in a few years. We need to save Artemis."

His eyes went wide. "Save Artemis?"

"From Tartarus, when she reforms in a decade or so, which will only be a few years for us here. We'll break in and save her, then bring her back to the mortal world. But for that, you need to be ready. You need to be trained. Odds are, Tartarus himself will be working with Order, and we'll have to defeat him to get Artemis out."

"We being?"

"Us, the Champions. Don't worry, we'd never let you jump in there alone. We'll never abandon you." There was a darkness in her sea-blue eyes that seemed to speak for itself. She knew what it felt like.

"You're a lot like me, aren't you?" asked Percy.

Lev snorted, very uncharacteristically. "Like you? No. I was born a sea monster. It didn't matter that I tried to help people. They saw me as a monster. They repaid my kindness with pain. So I stopped interacting with them, minding my own business. Then one day, a hero came along and killed me."

"Who killed you?"

"All the mythologies are more connected than you think, Percy. Think for a moment. What is your namesake famous for?"

"My namesake? You mean, Perseus?" Percy's eyes widened. "Oh. No way."

Tears began to pool in Lev's eyes. "Yes, I was that monster. The one that Perseus killed. The Greeks called me Cetus. The Jews called me Leviathan. The only reason I attacked Andromeda was because of Poseidon, your father. He had a stupid argument with Cassiopeia, and he wanted to destroy her city, so he broke the Ancient Laws, and used his power to capture me. He brought me to the Greek realm, because he wanted to unleash a monster that no Greek hero could defeat. Of course, it didn't matter in the end. The original Perseus killed me, with Medusa's head. Nobody ever knew my side of the story."

Percy didn't know what to say. He put an arm around her and held her, while she fought back tears. "Do you know why I told you all that, Percy?" she asked. "Because we're family now. Not like your Olympians. We, all of Chaos' army, we are a family bonded by loyalty." She pointed to the Earth beneath them. "Loyalty to them. Humanity. You know why I want to go back? For a second chance, to change my name. To show people that I am more than just a monster."

Percy got to his feet and helped her up. "You've already shown us that, Lev." He poked her forehead. "Although, you are a monster. You're about to make a poor, defenseless boy like me cry from your sad stories."

She slapped him. "Perseus Jackson! You really know how to ruin a moment, don't you?"

He laughed and began to walk back toward Chaos' palace. "Annabeth used to say that, too, all the time."

Later that night, Percy went to Chaos and requested two things. One, to keep up the illusion of the blue sky and the sun, because it was doing wonders for everyone's morale. Two, to give Lev an ocean-sized swimming pool.

* * *

_[ Star Realm, 1 month D.P. ]_

"_Percy, Chaos wants you at Central,"_ came Leviathan's voice in his head.

It still made him jump sometimes, how suddenly Lev could contact him telepathically, but it didn't scare him. Lev was too kind to ever use that power to harm anyone. She was leader of the Healers, after all.

Percy marveled again at how wisely Chaos had gifted the Champions their powers. Each Champion had many unique abilities, and he was only beginning to scratch the surface of his own.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and held a hand up to Shanti. "I have to go."

She frowned. "But we were just starting to figure out your spacetime prescience ability!"

"_Chaos wants you here, too, Shanti,"_ called Lev's mental voice.

Shanti growled. "Argh, fine, tell the old lady we're on our way."

Percy could almost imagine Chaos rolling her eyes. After cleaning up the training ground, they returned to the castle and traversed the winding hallways, finally reaching the throne hall, the biggest room in the entire palace. Lit by glowing star lamps and held up by glossy black marble pillars, the walls of the throne room showed engravings of the entire history of the universe, from the moment Chaos was born from nothing, to the present day. In the middle of the hall was Chaos' throne, a pitch black leather recliner.

Percy and Shanti walked past the comfy throne and into the door at the back of the hall, stepping into the second most important room in the palace. Central Command, as Chaos called it, or just Central.

Soldiers from the army wandered about, running various errands and keeping watch on various screens of light that displayed every important or magically significant place on the planet. At the center of it all was the Ring, the instant teleportation system Chaos used to transport units to various realms.

Chaos was standing in front of the Ring, glaring at him impatiently. Beside her was Erik, Anansi, and Bianca.

"You called for me, Granny?" asked Percy. He was the only one who could get away with calling her that, and they both knew it.

"Seriously?" asked Chaos as soon as Percy was within earshot. "Your first mission, and you're _late_? I should fire you, Commander."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—" He froze. "Wait. What did you say? No way. Don't tell me you actually said it!" He began bouncing up and down like a little kid. "Finally, a mission! You know how long I've been waiting for this?"

"A month, we know," muttered Shanti.

"My first mission!" Percy repeated, completely ignoring her.

Chaos rolled her eyes at him. "Don't get too excited, kid. It's a recon mission, to the base of the Yggdrasil, the Norse world tree. Just to check out what's going on there, nothing more. We don't want to draw any attention, got it? I'm looking at you, Percy."

Percy frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know your reputation, Percy Jackson," Chaos said dryly. "Accidental volcano eruptions, exploding cruise ships. You're a walking disaster. So on this mission, keep your mouth shut and follow the others' lead. Understand? Now get to work. I've briefed Bianca. She'll fill you in on the way."

Percy's grin widened. "I get to use the Ring, right?"

Chaos groaned. "Keep him under control, will you?"

Bianca, Erik, Anansi, and Shanti all simultaneously saluted her. She nodded and began to walk away. "Good luck, all of you."

They stepped into the Ring, which was really a descriptive name. It was a huge ring of pure starmetal, the basis of Celestial bronze. A group of Mages, Anansi's soldiers, began to pour magical energy into it, activating various enchantments engraved onto the surface. Percy wasn't surprised when the air began to darken.

Bianca smiled. "Percy, you do the honors. Imagine a place. An enormous tree, the root and strength of all nine Norse realms. One with the lifeblood of the universe. An aspect of Chaos herself. The Worldtree, Yggdrasil."

Percy imagined exactly what Bianca had told him, and he could _see_ it clearly, in his mind's eye. And then everything faded away in a flash of blinding darkness.

* * *

_[ Back on Earth... ]_

Annabeth hated sleep.

_They took him from you._

It always came in the dead of night, this soothing voice. It whispered the truth to her, the truth she knew, but would never even dream of thinking about in broad daylight. The truth was that the gods were evil.

_They killed Percy for something he didn't do. They were afraid of him. Because everything he said, even the cruel things, everything he said was true._

_They had evidence!_ she would scream back. _He killed a goddess! He took the punishment willingly! There was nothing I could do!_

_No,_ said the voice. _There was something. There still is something you can do. You have that famed intelligence, don't you? Use it. Tear down the gods. Teach them what it feels like to be crushed under someone else's boot, like the demigods they treat as tools. You have the ability and the wisdom to fix this. You can do better than them._

For some reason, some hidden part of Annabeth's soul agreed.

_**[ AN: I know, I'm evil. I'm putting Annabeth's will to the test. Will she turn to the dark (I mean light) side? We'll find out soon... ]**_


	9. Chapter 9 - The Worldtree

_[ AN: FYI, I haven't read Magnus Chase, probably never will, so I have no idea what Rick Riordan imagines the Norse worlds as. This will be my interpretation. ]_

**Chapter 9: The Worldtree**

Yggdrasil. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.

A tree more colossal than he could even comprehend, made of pitch-black mist yet solid as stone, its trunk stretching from horizon to horizon. They stood at the base of the trunk, and from here Percy could see roots stretching out into a bottomless void, an icy ocean, as far as the eye could see. Up higher, on various levels of the tree, were many realms, entire worlds floating in the air. It seemed to Percy like he was looking up at the layers of a transparent cake. Each world sat right on top of the other, occupying the same space, yet separate in existence, like layers of the same universe.

The tree, Percy realized, was the bridge, the glue binding the Nine Realms together. It didn't stretch up into space, it stretched through space, between dimensions. Far above that, Yggdrasil's branches spanned the width of the heavens, its every leaf and flower a star or a galaxy.

Percy blinked. He knew those stars.

Bianca followed Percy's gaze and smiled. "Wherever we go, that remains constant. Chaos is always watching over us. Remember that, Percy."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, kid," said Anansi. The trickster spider spirit seemed uncharacteristically serious. "It's mighty dark where we're going."

Beside him, Erik nodded. "Of all the Norse realms, we are about to enter the only one where the stars don't reach."

Percy quickly ran through the list in his head. He had learned everything during his month of training, and while studying had been difficult for him, the content was interesting, and the universe was at stake, so he still remembered everything he had learned.

The Nine Norse Realms. Which one was darkest? Not Asgard, home of the gods, or Vanaheim, home of the lesser gods. Not Alfheim, land of the light elves, or Midgard, the human world, or Jotunheim, realm of the giants, or Muspellheim, the land of fire. There were only three dark worlds. Niflheim, the ice world. Myrkheim, realm of the dark elves and dwarves. And the darkest of them all, the realm at the roots of the Worldtree.

"Hel," said Percy. The word left a bad taste on his tongue.

Erik nodded. "Consider this the Norse incarnation of your Greek Tartarus. It is one of the many prisons of darkness in which Chaos kept Order contained. But lately we've heard news that strange things are happening in Hel. Traces of Order's light, radiating out of Hel and into the other eight realms. So we got to investigate. Follow me."

The group walked forward, reaching what seemed like an enormous cavern among the gigantic roots of the tree. As Percy stared into it, a terrible fear overtook him.

He was staring at the mouth of hell all over again. A different hell, sure, but the feeling was there. As if he were meeting a familiar enemy after a long time.

"I don't like this," he whispered.

"Reminds you of Tartarus, doesn't it?" asked Shanti.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Percy," said Erik softly.

"I'm fine!" snapped Percy. "I'll manage. The mission comes first."

Erik looked at him in concern, then shrugged. "Alright. Bianca, you take it from here."

Bianca drew her sword, Eclipse. The darkness seemed to radiate from it like a mist, and she closed her eyes, forming glowing shapes out of it. "Alright. Here's the plan. This is the entrance to Hel. We're going to split into groups, to minimize risk of detection. Percy, you're with Erik, because this is his universe. He knows the ropes. Anansi's with you. Shanti and I will be the other group."

The mist formed into a sort of map that showed the layout of Hel. "Once we enter the cave," said Bianca, "We'll fall straight into the sky of the realm of Hel. The place is nothing like Tartarus, quite the opposite, actually. Frozen cold, near absolute darkness. No matter what, do not unequip your Chaotic armor. It's the only thing keeping our spirits alive in this Norse underworld."

Mist-shapes of various monsters appeared. Black wolves, skeletons, gigantic snakes, stone trolls. Bianca continued. "There will be, ahem, natives that we may have to deal with, as well as many thousands of human spirits. Remember, we want to minimize detection. Chaos' blessing will keep us hidden, like the Greek Mist, but there's only so much it can do. Try not to draw attention to yourselves."

Percy nodded. "Already got that lecture from Granny herself, Bianca. Anything else?"

The mist-shape shifted again, into the image of a beautiful woman, with sharp features. "There is a spirit called Brynhildr, a dead princess, whom we—Shanti and I—will be looking for. She is our contact in Hel, so finding her is important. You three, on the other hand..."

"We find the source of the light magic radiating in Hel," guessed Erik. "I have a few suspicions."

Bianca nodded. "You're looking for anything out of the ordinary. Search around any of the more dangerous parts of the realm. If you get caught, use your blessing to teleport back to Star Realm. Don't go picking fights, especially if you don't know how this mythology works. Understood, Percy?"

Percy nodded seriously.

They all shared a long moment of silence.

"Well," said Shanti. "Bianca and I should be off. Wait until we're completely through the entrance, and then some, before you follow."

"Tread lightly, everyone," added Bianca, turning toward the cavern. "Chaos be with us."

* * *

_[ AN: I know it wasn't much, but I hope this chapter sates your hunger for now. The real action is coming soon. ]_


	10. Chapter 10 - The Depths of Hell

_[ AN: Sorry, folks, it's been a long while. I have no excuses. Life happens, you know? But here you go, a new chapter. Let me know what ya think! ]_

**Chapter 10: The Depths of Hell**

The moment Percy fell into the Norse Underworld, an intense chill raced down his back. Percy had often felt fear—it came with the demigod lifestyle—but very few times had he felt true terror. Tartarus had been terrifying. But this . . . this was too familiar for comfort.

He was falling, exactly as he had in Tartarus. The darkness gathered around him like mist. Glowing streaks of pale light shot past him through the air. Spirits. The only light was from the spirits and the great glowing icicles that dotted the landscape. Hellscape was really the only word to describe it, a world-sized ice cavern.

Hel was the incarnation of terror. A helpless, crushing, pitch-black terror that lingered in the air, whispering in his ear. _You will die here, alone._ Memories of Tartarus played on loop in his mind. Falling, hitting the river. The pain. Annabeth.

Percy growled and drew Riptide halfway from his sheath as he was in freefall, illuminating his surroundings in a warm orange glow. The light seemed to fade away barely a few feet away from him, as if the darkness of Hel was absorbing it.

But as much as this reminded Percy of Tartarus, things were different this time. Percy had the power and the magic of Chaos. Using his spacetime prescience, he intuitively moved his body in midair toward the best path for landing. He stabbed Riptide into some sort of icy slope, using it as a brake, gradually slowing his descent until he stopped entirely. He pulled Riptide out and dropped down to the nearest flat ledge he could find. As he looked around, his eyes widened.

An icicle. He was standing on an _icicle_ the size of a mountain.

Erik landed right next to him in a flash of lightning, carving a small crater into the giant ice mountain.

Percy glared at him. "Wasn't this supposed to be a covert mission?"

Erik smiled sheepishly. "Oops?"

"Teenagers," Anansi sighed as he floated down with a magical spider-silk parachute. The moment his feet touched the ground, the parachute shrank into a single silk strand, which Anansi immediately ate up like a spaghetti noodle.

Percy gagged. "I will never get used to seeing you do that."

"It's an acquired taste," said the spider spirit. "Now, this should be the place. We need to track Order's light."

"Wait a second." Percy frowned. "How big is Hel, exactly?"

"Really, really big," replied Erik. "But we've come to the place where Order's light was last sighted. The Abyss."

"What abyss?" asked Percy.

Anansi took a deep breath and muttered an incantation, held out his hands, and in a split-second, melted a circular tunnel straight through the side of the icicle mountain. As they crossed through and arrived on the other side, Percy's eyes widened.

"Yeah," said Erik breathlessly. "_That_ Abyss."

Percy wondered how he had missed this as he was freefalling, but he realized the Abyss was so dark it couldn't be seen from the air. The outline of the canyon could only be seen up close, and Percy had the feeling he was too close for comfort right now. The ice-mountain's slope descended, and descended, and kept on descending.

All the mountains nearby did exactly the same thing, so that there was a gigantic empty hole in the ground, like the maw of a terrible beast. There was no bottom, only darkness going downward for all eternity.

Not even empty, it was just . . . nothing.

Percy was reminded of looking into the entrance to Tartarus in the Underworld, except this Abyss was a thousand times darker and colder. So cold, in fact, that Percy could feel his blood freeze even from here.

"We're here," said Percy. "So what now?"

"We find the source of the light magic," said Erik. "Anansi, can you track any light in here?" The spider spirit nodded, already weaving a complex incantation with his hands.

Percy frowned. Something didn't seem right. His instincts were buzzing.

He leaned over the edge of the ledge, kicking a little chunk of ice down into the Abyss. It fell into the darkness, barely making a sound.

"I'm not getting anything," said Anansi. "My spell is telling me the whole Abyss is contaminated to the brim with light magic, but that isn't right. That can't be right. We would be able to see the light if it was. Wouldn't we?"

Erik frowned. "Right . . . except . . . the Abyss was designed to be an endless void. It's like a miniature version of the upper Void Realm, where all light dies. So if you did have light within the Abyss . . . it would never escape. It would never be seen on the outside . . . unless something from the inside of the Abyss came _out_ of the Abyss . . ."

Anansi's eyes shot open. "Wait. There's only one thing _in_ the Abyss, right? According to Norse mythology . . . what was it? Some doomsday monster?"

And then Percy saw it. A pulsing point of light, like the speck of one candle in a field of darkness. Not just any point, though. The shape was immediately clear to him, recognizable from years of experience batting all sorts of scaled terrors.

A dragon's glowing golden eye.

"Guys." Percy waved, and Anansi and Erik looked at where he was pointing. They froze, shocked speechless. Anansi's incantation faded away as his hands trembled in terror.

"Not just _some_ monster." Erik's voice cut through the deafening silence. "_Nidhoggr._"

* * *

_[AN: Yeah, the chapter is shorter than usual. I just need some time to get back into the groove of writing. Bear with me, yall. Thanks!]_


	11. Chapter 11 - The Dragon, pt 1

_[ Previously on Earthshaker's Shadow... ]_

_"There is a spirit called Brynhildr, a dead princess," said Bianca, "whom we—Shanti and I—will be looking for. She is our contact in Hel, so finding her is important. You three, on the other hand..."_

_. . ._

_"Wait," said Anansi. "There's only one thing in the Abyss, right? According to Norse mythology . . . what was it? Some doomsday monster?"_

"_Nidhoggr._"

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Dragon, part 1**

_[ With Shanti and Bianca... ]_

They were meeting in a small cave in a giant ice mountain of Hel, hidden just beyond the vast fields where the dead Norse spirits wandered for the rest of eternity. The moment Shanti and Bianca walked in, they caught sight of a glowing figure.

Brynhildr, the Guardian spirit that Chaos had appointed to watch over Hel.

Brynhildr had the kind of beauty Shanti would have envied, if she had cared about beauty. What Shanti did respect, however, was Brynhildr's skills. Even after death the warrior princess' spirit shone with a sort of supernatural grace, a perfect economy of motion forged from centuries of combat as a valkyrie.

"Brynhildr, Chaotic Guardian of Hel," said Shanti, raising her trident and showing the sigil of Chaos engraved into it. Brynhildr raised her own sword, showing Chaos' sigil and confirming her identity.

"Champions," Brynhildr greeted stiffly.

Shanti smiled. "How's it going? Any news?"

"You're too late," said the valkyrie, her eagle-like features marred by a scowl.

"What do you mean?" asked Bianca.

"I sent word to Chaos one celestial week ago," said Brynhildr. "We needed you here earlier! Do you have any idea what's happening in the depths of Hel?"

"That's why we're here," said Shanti. "I'm sorry we couldn't come help you earlier. Order's magic has been appearing across the realms, and we've had our hands full trying to hunt them all down. Any information on what we should investigate in Hel?"

"The time for investigation is past," retorted Brynhildr. "I've tracked down the light magic, but we cannot draw close, or we will draw its attention. The beast has been turned to Order's will."

"Wait," said Bianca. "What beast?"

Brynhildr shuddered. "The dragon of the Abyss. _Nidhoggr_. The dragon has slept for eons, but lately I have felt the foundations of Hel trembling. The beast wakes. I observed that the sudden bursts of light throughout Hel coincide with the trembling of the ground, so I went to the edge of the Abyss. It is exactly what I believed. Order has been slowly contaminating the Abyss with light, infecting Nidhoggr's mind." Brynhildr's expression darkened. "I fear the dragon will fully awaken soon."

Shanti and Bianca's eyes went wide. "But . . ." Lev's voice was quiet. "Nidhoggr is a doomsday beast. If it wakes . . ."

Brinhyldr nodded. "Nidhoggr will eat away the roots of the Worldtree. It would mean the end of the Norse realms, the death of one of the aspects of Chaos' soul."

While Bianca and Brynhildr were deep in conversation, Shanti glanced at the ground. A chip of ice was jittering around on the floor. A stray thought crossed Shanti's mind. She took a sharp breath. "The boys went to the Abyss."

Bianca turned to her. "What?"

"The boys," Shanti repeated. "They were going to investigate the light. If Anansi tracked the light with an incantation, they definitely would have gone to the Abyss!"

All three women froze as the ground began to quake.

A deep, shrill roar shook the entire cavern of Hel, making the icicles tremble, bringing all three to their knees. Brynhildr growled. "They _disturbed_ the beast? Great gods in Asgard, why would they—"

But Shanti wasn't listening. The moment she saw a golden lightning bolt streaking through the dark sky of Hel, she was already running out of the cave.

* * *

_[ With Percy and the boys... ]_

The roar was like the voice of hell itself.

Percy covered his ears and fell to his knees, but his head still rang in pain as if it had been impaled with a spear. The entire world seemed to tremble, and Percy was reminded of fighting with Gaea all over again. He gathered all his willpower and staggered to one knee, opening his eyes and looking out into the Abyss.

What he saw knocked the breath right out of his lungs.

Percy had seen dragons, he had seen drakons, he had seen Leviathan in her monstrous form. But never in his life had he seen anything like this.

A dragon bigger than he could imagine, with jaws wide enough to bite the tops off of mountains, was rising out of the Abyss. The beast's head was facing away from them, but one eye was open, glowing golden. Staring right at Percy.

"Nidhoggr," whispered Erik, stunned. "It's really Nidhoggr."

The dragon's head turned and shot forward, its tongue lashing out at them.

Anansi reacted fastest, casting a spell and teleporting them backward into the tunnel in the ice mountain. The dragon's jaws clamped into the mountain, biting off an enormous mouthful of ice and swallowing it whole.

Erik seemed to shake off the shock, raising his hammer. A thunderbolt streaked out of the darkness, striking Nidhoggr's tongue and sending the beast screeching backward. The sound knocked them all off their feet again. As he rose, Erik raised his hammer again, sending lightning at the dragon from all sides, distracting and confusing it. Percy could see the strain on Erik's face. He wouldn't be able to keep it up forever.

"How do we kill it?" yelled Percy over the clamor.

"We _can't_," muttered Erik through gritted teeth, still focused on summoning lightning. "It's invincible! It's a beast that signals the arrival of doomsday!"

"_Tail!_" cried Anansi, just as a tail the size of a river appeared from the Abyss and slammed into the ice mountain. Everything exploded in a flash of ice and scales and blood, and instinctively, Percy called on his powers.

He extended his will, spreading it over the entire ice mountain, and set his mind.

_Melt. Bend. Obey me._

Nidhoggr's tail, which should have crushed and killed them all, was held back by another tail. The tail of a dragon made entirely of water. Percy's eyes were closed, but his spacetime prescient sense was sharper than he had ever felt it.

Nearby ice mountains melted, joining his body, forming a gigantic dragon-like shape. He was the size of Nidhoggr itself, the heart and mind of a huge body of water obeying his will. Percy growled, baring his teeth. His voice was echoed through the entire dragon-body of water, matching the sound of Nidhoggr's roar.

_"You wanna fight, little lizard? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"_

* * *

Erik was stunned speechless. He had been focused on distracting Nidhoggr with lightning. The next moment, he had seen the dragon's tail heading toward them, ready to level the ice mountain. For a split-second, Erik was sure they were all doomed.

He was about ready to call on his blessing of Chaos, to teleport back to Star Realm, but suddenly, a wave of water picked up him and Anansi. It tossed them directly across the Abyss, to an ice mountain far on the other side.

Erik landed with a grunt and a flash of lightning, collapsing in a crater on the icy slope. Anansi joined him. They were both battered and bruised, but still alive.

And when they looked out into the Abyss, they saw not one, but _two_ dragons.

Nidhoggr, the terror of the Nine Norse Realms, the End Dragon, was loose in Hel.

And holding the beast off, with nothing but water and willpower, was Perseus Jackson.

* * *

_[ AN: Just so you know, I read every review! Dear readers, you guys make my day. Thanks for sticking with me ;) _

_I'll try to update weekly, but I can't make any promises. ]_


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